Board-on-Board Fence Installation & Replacement
A board-on-board fence gives you the best of both worlds: complete privacy that stays gap-free for years, and a finished look that is just as handsome from your neighbor’s side as it is from yours. By overlapping each picket over the next, this style leaves no line of sight through the fence even as the wood naturally shrinks and settles, which is exactly where a standard fence starts to show gaps. Sunrise Fence designs and builds board-on-board fences across Union County and the greater Charlotte area, built tight, built level, and built to hold up through years of Piedmont weather. From a private backyard to a polished property line, we handle the whole job from first measurement to final board.
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Privacy That Stays Private, on Both Sides
The trouble with a standard solid fence is that wood shrinks. As the boards dry and settle, thin gaps open up right where you wanted privacy most. A board-on-board fence solves that by overlapping the pickets, so there is always coverage behind every seam no matter how the wood moves. Our work begins with an honest, itemized quote and a real visit to your yard, because the overlap, board width, and slope of your property all shape how the fence should be built. We are licensed and insured, and homeowners keep choosing us because we build this style the way it is meant to be done, with a consistent overlap, tight seams, and clean lines from end to end. The payoff is a fence that seals out the view completely and looks finished from both yards, with no rail side to hide. What you get is a private, two-sided fence built to your property and your taste, priced plainly, with nothing added later.
Board-on-Board Options We Build
Board-on-board is a flexible style, and small choices in overlap, height, and top profile change both the look and the level of privacy:
- Standard Board-on-Board: Overlapping vertical pickets for full, gap-free privacy that looks finished from both sides, typically six feet tall.
- Tighter or Wider Overlap: More overlap for maximum coverage and depth, or a lighter overlap for a leaner look, tuned to your privacy and budget.
- Flat-Top and Dog-Ear Profiles: Clean straight tops for a modern line or classic dog-ear pickets for a softer, traditional finish.
- Lattice-Top and Accent Toppers: A decorative top adds height and a more finished crown above the solid board-on-board base.
- Custom Board-on-Board Designs: Taller runs where codes allow, stepped installations for sloped yards, and gate builds matched seamlessly to the fence line.
We build in pressure-treated pine for strength and value, and we help you choose based on your goals. Because board-on-board uses more lumber than a single-layer fence, we walk you through the trade-off clearly so the quote makes sense. Throughout the project you always know where things stand, from the opening measurement to the final walk, and because our trucks arrive stocked and ready, most fences come together in days.
Why Homeowners Choose Sunrise for Board-on-Board
Clear, Itemized Pricing
Built to Handle Carolina Weather
The Overlap Done Right
Getting Lasting Value From Your Fence
A quality board-on-board fence is one of the highest-value improvements you can make to a home, adding complete privacy, security, curb appeal, and a clean two-sided look all at once. Getting it built right is what protects that value, and a little care afterward is what keeps it looking sharp. The most common calls we get are from homeowners who paid too little for a fast install and watched the posts lean or the overlap go crooked within a year or two. We would rather build it once, correctly, with the right lumber, posts sunk below the frost line and firmly anchored to carry the extra weight and wind load of a double-layered fence, and proper spacing so the wood moves with the seasons instead of splitting. Wood does ask a little upkeep in return for its looks. Sealing or staining every few years, keeping sprinklers off the boards, and catching a loose picket or a sagging gate early all add years to its life. After every job we walk the finished fence with you, explain the simple upkeep your particular wood and finish need, and leave you a direct number to call if anything ever comes up. Built and cared for this way, a board-on-board fence protects your family, your pets, and your privacy for many years.
Board-on-Board Fencing Across the Area We Serve
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Board-on-Board Questions, Answered
What is the difference between board-on-board and a standard privacy fence?
A standard solid fence sets pickets edge to edge in a single layer, which looks great at first but tends to open small gaps as the wood dries and shrinks. Board-on-board overlaps each picket over the next, so there is always coverage behind every seam and the fence stays private for years. It also looks finished from both sides, where a standard fence usually has a smooth side and a rail side.
Is board-on-board better than shadowbox?
They solve different priorities. Board-on-board gives you maximum privacy with no line of sight through the fence, and looks finished from both sides. Shadowbox alternates boards on either side of the rail, which also looks the same from both yards but leaves small gaps that let air pass through, so it offers a bit less privacy with more airflow. If complete privacy is the goal, board-on-board is usually the better fit. We walk you through both so you can decide.
Does board-on-board cost more than a regular wood fence?
Yes, modestly, because the overlapping design uses more lumber. What you get for that is a fence that stays gap-free as the wood settles and looks finished from both sides, which many homeowners feel is well worth it, especially when neighbors will see the fence too. We lay out the cost difference clearly in the quote so you can decide with the full picture.
Will the fence still develop gaps over time?
That is exactly what the overlap prevents. As boards naturally shrink, a single-layer fence opens gaps, but with board-on-board there is always a second board behind each seam, so your privacy holds. Building it with proper overlap and letting the wood acclimate is key, and that is standard in how we install it.
How long does installation take, and do you remove my old fence?
Most standard residential board-on-board fences go up in one to three days once materials are on site and utilities are marked. The extra boards add a little time compared to a single-layer fence, and larger or custom runs can take longer. We give you a realistic timeline in writing after seeing the property. If we are replacing an existing fence, tear-out, cleanup, and responsible haul-away of the old material are all included in the quote, with nothing extra at the end.